Author: Matthew Harrington

SaberCats Claw Back Against Gladiators in Meyer’s Return Under Center

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By Matthew T.F. Harrington

SAN JOSE, Calif. – It was the tale of two kitties, or rather Cats, Saturday night at the SAP Center, where the San Jose SaberCats rallied from a dismal first quarter to top the Cleveland Gladiators 70-58.

The Cats trailed 52-42 after the first half, allowing Cleveland to score on every first-half drive, before clamping down defensively in the second half.

From there the SaberCats (9-0) only surrendered one score, a touchdown in the waning seconds of regulation, while putting up 28 second-half points to remain undefeated in 2015.

“They’re a good football team,” said SaberCats owner and head coach Darren Arbet of the Gladiators. “They came out with a lot of energy. I’m proud of my guys, they stayed the course. They never got fluster, they never got rattled. They just continued to play football.”

The man known as “Big Play” Reggie Gray had plenty of them Saturday. The SaberCats receiver put up the highest total in receiving yards by a San Jose wideout, finishing the night with 201 yards. Gray wound up in the end zone 5 times, the highest single-game total by any Cat this year.

“He’s been doing it all year,” said Arbet. “That’s why I call him ‘Big Play’. He comes up with big catches. He makes things happen. He’s tough as all outside.”

Quarterback Erik Meyer, returning from injury after missing the past two games, completed 30 of 42 passes for 406 yards. He ended the night a touchdown shy of a ten-pack.

“The first quarter, there was a little bit of nerves,” said Meyer. “I was anxious to get back on the field. I was rushing things a little. I had to shake a little rust off. I think it took about a quarter, quarter-and-a-half for me to settle down and feel good again.”

“He’s a great quarterback in this league,” said Arbet. “He’s going to go down as one of the best. He’s been MVP in this thing. Having him back and healthy is a big plus for this football team.”

Cleveland Quarterback Shane Austin threw for 7 touchdowns in the first half, with receivers Collin Taylor (4 touchdowns) and Amarri Jackson (3) splitting the scoring load. The Gladiators (5-4) wrapped up the half on a 40-yard Adrian Trevino field goal, sending San Jose to the locker room trailing for the first time all season.

San Jose kept pace, failing to score on its first drive of the game before showing why it is the top-ranked offense in the Arena Football league. The SaberCats matched the remaining drives one-for-one, with fullback Odie Armstrong rushing for the first touchdown. Gray (3) and Adron Tennell (2) caught the other five TDs of the half to keep San Jose within two possessions heading into the final half-hour of play.

“They were eager to go after us,” said Gray. “We’re undefeated so we get everybody’s best shot. The thing was at half time we heard them over their celebrating. We understand that it is four quarters. We came out in the second half and the defensive stepped up and played tremendously. Offensively we just had to score every time.”

Meyer opened the second half with a two-play drive, capping the run with a dink pass that Diondre took 17 yards to the house to pull San Jose within a field goal 52-49. The Cats defense, tops in the league averaging 34.9 points a game on the campaign, stuffed the Gladiators offense a yard-short of the first down at their the San Jose 4-yard line for the first Cleveland turnover on downs of the game 5:21 into the third.

San Jose took its first lead of the night on the ensuing drive, a six-play 46-yard march culminated in a Meyer 15-yard screen pass to Richard Ranglin for six points. Nich Pertuit hit his 8th of a perfect 10 extra point attempts for a 56-52 lead 5 ½ minutes from the end of the third. The Cats defense forced another turnover in their own end after Cleveland failed to gain the 7 yards needed on a 4th-and-goal attempt with 90 seconds left in the frame. The SaberCats didn’t score on their brief possession.

Reggie Gray capped his big night with two more touchdowns in the 4th before Cleveland found its way back on the scoreboard. San Jose smothered Cleveland into an interception by Ken Fontenette and a four-and-out on the first two fourth-quarter drives for the visitors before Collin Taylor rushed a yard for the final score of the game with just 4 ticks of the clock left.  By then, the game had already been decided.

“We started getting some pressure on the quarterback in the second half,” said Arbet. “They did a nice job. We changed up what we were doing. We were pocket collapsing (Austin). That’s a good offensive line. They were taking care of us. We started throwing moves on them and getting up the field.”

Next weekend, the SaberCats travel to Portland to take on the Thunder Saturday night. The Thunder have struggled to a 3-5 record this season

Harden’s Buzzer-Beater Blunder Lets Warriors Escape with Game Two Win 99-98

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By Matthew T.F. Harrington

It was a dream situation for coach Kevin McHale with the second Most Valuable Player holding the rock with the chance at a game winning shot as the clock ticked off its final seconds.

It turned into a nightmare when James Harden failed to even hoist up a potential buzzer beater. Harden’s Houston Rockets instead fell to the Golden State Warriors 99-98 Thursday night at Oracle Arena and now trail the Western Conference Finals 2-0.

In game one the Warriors trailed early before mounting a comeback for the victory, but Thursday appeared to be a reversal of fortunes. Houston trailed by 12 51-39 with 5 minutes left in the first half but managed to outscore the hosts 16-4 down the stretch to head to the half tied at 55-all.

The Warriors outscored the Rockets 22-20 in an evenly played 3rd frame, building up to the drama of the 4th. Twice, Golden State built a six-plus point lead over the final 12 minutes, but couldn’t put away the visitors.

With just 1:39 left in regulation and Houston trailing 98-90, James Harden went on to score six consecutive Rockets points to only one made free throw by Draymond Green for the Dubs. With 33 seconds left, the architect of the near comeback Harden found Dwight Howard for an alley oop to put the Rockets down by just one.

The Warriors still maintained the final position and seemed content to drain the clock and force Houston to take the game winner after Harrison Barnes missed the lay-up with 7 seconds left. Harden rebounded the ball and streaked to the other end of the court seeking a mid-range jumper. Instead he lost possession of the ball, and ultimately a chance at the game winning shot.

Despite showing his frustration by knocking over a set of curtains on his way off the court, Harden performed exceptionally Thursday, coming an assist shy of a triple-double after scoring 38 points and pulling down 10 boards while only going to the free throw line 10 times. Howard, deemed good to go after Josh Smith landed awkwardly on his leg in game one, played 40 minutes and collected a double-double with 17 boards and 19 points.

The Rockets appeared to forget that Stephen Curry wears the crown as reigning MVP, because throughout the night the Human Torch found himself wide open from beyond the arch. He punished Houston to the tune of 33 points over 36 minutes, including 5 treys on 11 attempts. Andrew Bogut, named to the second-team all defense earlier in the day, rebound from what he dubbed a poor performance in game one to score 14 points. First-team all defense award winner Draymond Green pitched in 12, while All-Defense snub Thompson pitched in 13.

The series now shifts to Houston and the Toyota Center where the Rockets went 30-11 in the regular season. Game 3 tips off Saturday night a 6 p.m.

A Pair of Singles Pushes A’s Past AL-Leading Astros

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By Matthew T.F. Harrington

The Oakland Athletics showed one of the top homer happy teams in the majors Monday night that you don’t always need the long ball. Sometimes a couple of single base knocks can do the trick.

A pair of run-scoring singles, one in the 2nd and another in the 6th inning, pushed the A’s (14-26) to a 2-1 victory over the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park Monday night. Eric Sogard and Brett Lawrie picked up an RBI each while the recently acquired Edward Mujica picked up the road victory with a scoreless 1 2/3 innings of relief.

Oakland starter Drew Pomeranz suffered a very minor letdown compared to his last outing, a 7 inning, two-run performance against the Boston Red Sox. It was the pitch count and not the vaunted lineup of the American League leading Astros (25-14) playing spoiler. The hard-throwing southpaw lasted only 4 1/3 frames, surrendering a measly two hits, but walking five on the night.

Pomeranz opened the contest on rocky footing, plunking the fleet-of-foot Jose Altuve for the free base to open the contest. Altuve then pilfered second, his 14th steal of the season, before advancing to third on Jonathan Villar’s sacrifice bunt. The hirsute Evan Gattis brought the 2014 major league hits leader home with a sacrifice fly to right to put the home team ahead 1-0 after just one inning.

Astros starter Lance McCullers, making his major league debut Monday, didn’t get to experience a lead in the Bigs for long. In fact, it lasted only a few outs. After a one-out second inning double by Max Muncy, the bespectacled Sogard singled through the right side to pull Oakland even. Like Pomeranz, McCullers’ evening was a short one. The 21-year-old lasted 4 2/3 innings, walking three while punching out five.

McCullers was lifted for reliever Joe Thatcher, who was relieved of the tie an inning after finishing off the fifth inning. Thatcher (0-1, 3.38 ERA) faced three batters in the sixth without recording an out, coughing up a leadoff single to Billy Butler before losing Stephen Vogt and Muncy on back-to-back walks.

Will Harris took over for Thatcher, but allowed the game-winning hit to Lawrie. It was the first RBI Lawrie’s collected since May 5th. Harris wiggled out of the jam with a force-out at home and a twin killing to minimize the damage.

The A’s bullpen, one-time beleaguered, turn in a gem. Winning pitcher Mujica (2-1, 3.44) pitched 1 2.3 scores with a pair of Ks, before turning the game over to Evan Scribner. Scribner picked up the hold, punching out two Astros over his two innings of work, making way for Tyler Clippard to convert his 4th save of the campaign on a 1-2-3 inning.

The A’s now are poised to win the series with ace Sonny Gray taking the mound opposite Roberto Hernandez and his 4.12 ERA. Wednesday’s finale features Jesse Hahn going toe-to-toe with Dallas Keuchel, the top arm in Astros manager A.J. Hinch’s rotation.

Randolph, Gasol Bully Warriors to 2-1 Series Lead

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By Matthew T.F. Harrington

For the first time all season the Golden State Warriors are staring true adversity in the face. Following a 99-89 loss Saturday night in Memphis, the Warriors now trail the Grizzlies 2-1 in the Western Conference Semifinals.

For the second consecutive contest, the offensive juggernaut that was the Warriors shrank in the face of the bullish Memphis front. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson improved slightly off a dismal 13-for-34 night in Monday’s 97-90 loss at Oracle, combining to score 43 points (Curry 23, Thompson 20).

Curry struggled from the field, hitting 8 of 21 shots. The Most Valuable Player went just 2-of-10 from three-point land. As a team, the Warriors were held to just 6 treys on 26 tries, an identical figure to Monday night.

Memphis center Marc Gasol produced a double-double, scoring 21 while pulling in 15 boards. Fellow Twin Tower Zach Randolph came a pair of rebounds short of his own double-double, dropping 22 points on Golden State. Guard Mike Conley produced only 11 points one game after his game two 22-point return from an orbital bone injury.

While Curry and Thompson produced a more successful performance than their last display, the bigs of Andrew Bogut and Draymond Green struggled. The two came up with a pair of field goals, three free throws and a combined 8 points. Harrison Barnes played a Warriors-topping 40 minutes, scoring 16 in a breakthrough performance that can be viewed as a positive by Golden State fans.

The Warriors were up 15-10 early in the contest but were trailing 55-39 by the half after being outscored 32-19 in the second quarter. Golden State outscored the Grizzlies 50-44 over the final two quarters, but ran out of time to complete the comeback.

The Warriors now face unfamiliar territory heading into Monday night’s game four. It’s the first time on the campaign that the Warriors enter a road game on a two-game losing streak. Golden State lost two consecutive games four times, winning the next game at home all four times to go the entire season without a losing stretch of three games or more.

The Grizzlies pose a formidable threat at home at FedEx Forum where they won 31 games, tied for the fifth-most by a home team this season. Golden State earned the best road record at 28-13.

Vogelsong Rebounds to Shut Down Padres

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By Matthew T.F. Harrington

San Francisco, CALIF. – San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy faced a tough decision in Tuesday night’s contest against the San Diego Padres. Would the major’s best manager stick to a struggling veteran or turn to a new face in the middle game of a three-game set?

Vogelsong (1-2, 6.84 ERA) rewarded his manager’s faith, firing seven innings of three-hit ball, shutting out a potent Padres lineup for his first victory of the season. Vogelsong struck out four Padres while his offense scored early and often for a 6-0 win, pushing San Francisco (14-13) over .500.

“He had good stuff tonight,” said Bochy. “He had good command of the fastball on both sides. He did a tremendous job of bouncing back. This game is all about being resilient. He had good luck, good focus out there.”

The Giants have won five-straight, all against Southern California. They swept the Los Angeles Angels over the weekend and overtook the revamped Padres (14-14) in the standings Tuesday night after winning Monday night’s opener. Giants pitchers have now combined for three shutouts in a row.

“It’s a good way to start this home stand,” said Bochy. “We saw what happened last home stand. It starts with pitching, they set the tone. Every starter in this home stand has done that. Vogey did it tonight.”

The righty Vogelsong was re-signed as insurance for a Giants rotation built around aging veterans Tim Hudson and Jake Peavy accompanying question marks Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum. With various injuries to Giants starters already, Vogelsong stepped in on a number of occasions but still sought an encouraging outing. The 37-year-old’s shaky 2015 campaign included a 9.31 ERA entering Tuesday’s contest over three starts and a pair of long relief appearances.

“I just want to put the whole month of April behind me,” said Vogelsong candidly.

In his previous start, the rival Dodgers roughed a then-bearded Vogelsong up to the tune of 6 runs in a 7-3 loss. The Giants starter coughed up 4 homeruns, doubling his season total in the total while prompting the San Francisco faithful to call for last year’s revelation Yusmeiro Petit as rotation relief. Despite his last outing, he still had faith in his ability.

“I’m a believer,” said Vogelsong. “You can do anything if you believe in yourself. You’re here for a reason.”

Of course, Vogelsong’s self-confidence was aided by his offense Tuesday, with the Giants bats breaking out for 7 hits and 6 runs against Padres right-hander Andrew Cashner (1-5, 3.16) over 6 innings.

Justin Maxwell, a late addition to Bochy’s starting nine, opened the scoring with an RBI single in the second inning. Maxwell took the field following a late scratch to Angel Pagan who was deemed a no-go due to a laceration on his left middle finger after catching a spike on a stolen base attempt Monday night.

“We had some good at-bats,” said Bochy. “We had some timely hits. Maxwell got us going there. Pagan needed a day, so some guys picked it up offensively against a tough pitcher.”

Matt Duffy, playing in place of the slumping Casey McGehee, knocked in a run of his own in the inning on a run-scoring groundout for a 2-0 lead. The Giants runs-batted-in leader Brandon Crawford knocked in his 15th of the season on a single an inning later, one of three hits on the night for the shortstop.

The next batter, Gregor Blanco, bounced a chopper to first basemen Yangervis Solarte. With the glove at face-level, Solarte instead watched the ball chip into right field for a two-run error and a 5-0 deficit. Joe Panik added the Giants 6th run in the 5th inning, launching a belt-high Cashner offering into Levi’s Landing for his second long ball of the season.

Following Madison Bumgarner’s shutout Monday night and Vogelsong’s redeeming outing, the Giants can sweep the Padres and take the edge in the season series 4-3. They wrap up the three-game set with an afternoon matinee pitting San Diego’s Ian Kennedy against Chris Heston and his 2.51 ERA. Perhaps they’ll have Pagan back in the lineup as well.

“I’ll check on him tomorrow in the morning before I do the lineup,” said Bochy. “I know he was pretty sore taking batting practice tonight.”

Bernardez Own-Goal Sinks Quakes in Salt Lake

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By Matthew T.F. Harrington

The San Jose Earthquakes saw a sure-fire victory turn into an unsatisfying tie after two Quakes players managed to find the back of the net.  Chris Wondolowski scored early, but a misplaced ball by Victor Bernadez led to an own-goal, resulting in a 1-1 tie between San Jose and Real Salt Lake Friday night.

Wondolowski’s fourth goal of the season in the 19th minute came on a play that could have just as easily been called back as offsides. The U.S. Men’s National Team forward snuck behind a pair of Salt Lake defenders but without the ball. Shea Salinas fired the ball forward, pinballing off the rearguards to the foot of Wondolowski. Wondolowski fired the shot dead-on up top put the Quakes up 1-0.

The Earthquakes (3-4-1) appeared on track to bounce back from a 2-0 loss to New York two weeks ago, but the Bernardez blunder in the 71st minute spoiled any chances for a three-point night for San Jose. Bernandez, under pressure from an RSL forward, tried to chip a harmless volley back to his goalkeeper to reset the play. Or so he thought.

Instead of remaining in net, Goalkeeper David Bingham chose an aggressive approach to cut the ball off himself. Instead, he watched as Bernadez’s routine pass floated over his head and into the back of a wide-open net for the home team’s equalizing score while snapping a stretch of three-straight scoreless contests for Real Salt Lake (2-2-4).

Neither team mustered much offense over the remainder of the contest. Now San Jose rolls into a meeting with another 10-point team, the Houston Dynamo, seeking to separate itself from the other three Western Conference teams fighting for sixth place and a playoff spot.

Thompson, Warriors Surge Past Pelicans Late to Double Up Series Lead at 2-0

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By Matthew T.F. Harrington

The Golden State Warriors took a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven series against the New Orleans Pelicans, topping the team from the Big Easy 97-87 Monday night at Oracle Arena.

Klay Thompson matched New Orleans’ Anthony Davis with a game-high 26 points. The All-Star guard went 11-of-17 from the field while fellow Splash Brother Stephen Curry chipped in 22 points on 9-for-21 shooting. Draymond Green produced a double-double, scoring 14 while pulling down 12 rebounds.

A potential MVP pick, Davis notched a double-double of his own. The forward-center hybrid nabbed 10 rebounds to go with his 26 points. Teammate Omar Asik topped Davis with 13 rebounds, while the Warriors Aussie Andrew Bogut had a game-best 14.

Golden State trailed by as much as 13 points in the first quarter, finishing the period down 28-17. The Warriors clawed back in the second frame though, out-producing the eighth-seeded Pelicans 38-24. The run was punctuated by a Curry three-pointer, one of three treys hit by the surefire MVP, with 9 seconds left to put Golden State ahead 55-52.

The home team exploded out the gate in the third, scoring six of the first seven points for a 61-53 lead. New Orleans eventually knotted the game up 64-even with just under six minutes left till the 4th. The two teams ultimate headed into the fourth, deciding quarter tied 71-71.

From there, it was the Klay Thompson show. Thompson scored 14 of his 26 points in the final 12 minutes. Even with Thompson’s performance, the Warriors couldn’t distance themselves from the upset-minded visitors. The Pelicans trailed by just one point, with the scoreboard reading 85-84 with 5:34 remaining.

Thompson hit a three, but Pelicans guard Tyreke Evans responded with a lay-up at the other end. Back-to-back jumpers from Green and Thompson put some distance between the Dubs and Pelicans with 3:34 left. Thompson would score the next three points on a lay-up, converting the and-1 after an Evans foul. Then Bogut broke out the jam with just over a minute left to put the Warriors ahead comfortably 97-86. Evans would hit a free throw to wrap up the scoring.

The Warriors again struggled from the free throw line, hitting 12 of 19 from behind the charity stripe after going 21-for-34 in Saturday’s series opener. They did once again outrebound New Orleans 49-42 while holding the Pelicans to only 31 of 82 baskets attempted for a 37.8 shooting percentage. As a team, the Dubs shot 44.2 percent, making 38 of 86 would-be baskets.

The series now shifts to New Orleans, with the Warriors looking to sweep the series by winning Thursday and Saturday’s contests in the Big Easy. The Pelicans seek to escape the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2008, the season the Pelicans won the Southwest division. That year marks the only time in team history that New Orleans advanced past the opening round, with the then-hornets falling to the Spurs in the Conference Semifinals. The Pelicans have been in the playoffs 5 times since the team relocated to New Orleans in 2002.

 

Regular Season Wrapped Up with Win for Warriors

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By Matthew T.F. Harrington

The Golden State Warriors (67-15) wrapped the 2014-15 season up with a victory, outpacing the visiting Denver Nuggets 133-126 in a warm-up for Saturday’s first-round opener against Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans.

Klay Thompson scored 25 points despite the Warriors starting five seeing limited action. Stephen Curry played only 19 minutes, ensuring he’d be fresh for the opening round of the Western Conference playoffs. The potential Most Valuable Player scored 10 points on 4 of 10 shooting over his 19 minutes of action.

For the Nuggets (30-52), Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari put up 18 a piece while Erick Green chipped in 17 off the bench.

Golden State wrapped up the top seed well in advance of Thursday night, knowing full well they’d face the eighth-seed at Oracle Arena to open the postseason after a record-setting 67-win season that included a pair of 17+ game home winning streaks. It took until tonight for the final seed to be decided though, with the Pelicans topping the San Antonio Spurs for the final spot in the playoffs. Golden State went 3-1 in the regular season against the Pelicans.

Curry Breaks Own Record, Warriors Clinch Best Record

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By Matthew T.F. Harrington

Stephen Curry’s Most Valuable Player campaign received a massive boost Thursday night with the All-Star guard scoring 45 points in a 116-105 Golden State Warriors victory over the visiting Portland Trail Blazers. Curry also dished out 10 assists to pick up the double-double.

Curry hit 17 of 23 shots attempted, including an 8-for-13 night from behind the 3-point line. One of those eight treys helped Curry to set the new record for three’s in a season, eclipsing the previous mark of 272 in a campaign also set by Curry two seasons ago. He now sits at 276 on the year.

As a team, the Warriors (64-15) hit 48 of 90 field goals for a 53.3 shooting percentage. Klay Thompson supported Curry with 26 points, while Draymond Green picked up a double-double of his own with 11 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.

LaMarcus Aldrige topped the playoff-bound Blazers (51-28) with 27 points while Damian Lillard added 20 of his own.

With the win, Golden State has now clinched the best record in the NBA. It also ended a losing streak of two-straight games for the Warriors. The only downside is that the Warriors, considered one of the best defensive teams in the association, have now given up 100-plus points in six consecutive games.

Golden State can buck that trend when the Dubs host the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves Saturday night. The T-Wolves currently only hold 16 wins on the season.

 

Barnes Buzzer Beater Gives Warriors 62nd Win

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By Matthew T.F. Harrington

If Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr had to draw up one play to win a game, chances are he’d funnel the ball to potential Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry. Unfortunately for Kerr, Thursday night against at the Phoenix Suns the ball didn’t find Curry when the Dubs needed it to most. Instead, it came to an unlikely hero; Harrison Barnes.

With 4 seconds remaining and the Warriors trailing 106-105, Draymond Green’s inbound pass found Barnes cutting to the basket. After a few seconds, Barnes put up the game-winning lay-up with .4 ticks of the clock left. It was later ruled that time had expired, handing Golden State (62-13) their 62nd win (adding to the franchise record set this season) with a final score of 107-105.

The magic moment was almost for not in a frantic finish. In a mad scramble that started around the :30 mark of the fourth, the Warriors set up camp in the offensive zone. After three offensive rebounds and a steal, Klay Thompson fed Curry for a three to put Golden State ahead 105-104 with just 6 seconds left in regulation. The Suns answered back after an unguarded Eric Bledsoe drove to the hoop for the easy two points to hand Phoenix the one-point lead with just under 5 seconds left, setting up Barnes big moment.

Over 23 minutes, Barnes only collected four total points. Of course, Curry led the way offensively for the Warriors. The All-Star guard went 10-for-22 from the field, collecting a game-high 28 points to go with 8 boards and 5 assists. Thompson pitched in 16 points of his own. Bledsoe topped the Suns (38-38) with 18 points on 6 of 17 from the field.

Both teams shot around 46 percent on the night, with the Warriors winning the rebound battle 50-47. The Suns committed only 11 turnovers to Golden State’s 13 in an evenly-played contest.

The Warriors outscored Phoenix 55-44 in the first half, but were outpaced 62-52 over the second half to set up the tense final moments.

Next on the schedule for the Warriors is a tougher opponent than the .500 Suns. The Western Conference leaders will match-up with the 7th seed out West, the Dallas Mavericks. The two teams link up in a Saturday night showdown in the Lonestar State.